It's a classic tale that begins "across a crowded room," well, actually, it was sunset on the Hermosa Pier on a crowded Memorial Day weekend. Behind trendy sunglasses our eyes locked and we felt drawn to each other. We exchanged a hello, a smile, and a long gaze. I breathed him in as we passed in the crowd. Months later on the same pier we saw each other again and recognized one another immediately. Gabriel took out his phone and walked right up to me and said; "I would like to know you. Would you give me your number?" Eye to eye we looked at each other for the first time. Something inside me knew that those Spanish eyes were about to change my life. A couple of hours later (not days, people--hours later) I received a text from this new number that read; "Thank you for trusting me with you phone number. You have my full attention." Now, being a single, independent Hollywood woman at the time, on a hiatus from "the scene" as I live on a quiet sail boat and contemplate my future, I begin to think maybe this isn't the right time to involve myself with someone who is obviously enchanted with me and may want more than I'm ready to commit to. So, basically, I talk myself out of this potentially life-changing situation and tell him my life is not ready for this or for him. (At the time, very true.) Three months later we run into each other again. This time we literally walk by one another not noticing each other and I'm suddenly struck by an overwhelming sadness-like I become aware of a giant hole in my life. I suddenly felt like I was in mourning for a life I had lost. In that moment I felt empty. It all happened in an instant, so I looked over my shoulder and saw him. Now it was my turn to go after him. I called his name as I ran after him. He turned around and immediately embraced me, like he had been waiting for me all this time. I apologized for the past and he said 3 little words that changed the course of our lives; "I'm still here."